The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1887-02-27

1 AOuuty DOdIQ WIN ltS DE1HtluR anu Stt-
| tionery. Mr.. Jordan, who had not figured
/ the matter in detail, said that he thought
it would be about 81, 400. Now, it is not
| known that Mr.. Nooaan had any design
| in asking Mr.. Jordan what were the figures
| of his bid, but it is said that within very
| few days after the above stated Information
was impaired by Mr.. Jordan to Mr. Joseph
| M. NoonaD, the bids were opened, and with
the following result:
Jordan Stationery Company. .......... $1,996 %
Meyer y Lenk-... ..,..................s l59O 80
j. J. O'Hara 1854 %
Callahan Garland. ..-.....-.,. ..-. 1889 rs
Novelty Stationery Company. 1857 81
A. DATE. 1877 90
Mr. Jordan says that his bid was put in
at cost figures, and that TO comply literally
with the Boards requisition, any bid under
his figures is losing investm MT. Investi-
gaticn by the SUNDAY MORNING NEWS rep
resentatiye CT the list of su plies " re-
quired for use at the county institutions,
develops state Of things so misleading
that it would be impossible for any msn,
who did not know that many, very
many, of the goods called for are not
to be supplied at all, and that they would
not be expected to furnish them, to make
an acceptable bid. Take, for instance. the
Item of rubber bands. The requisition
calls for ten great g oss, each of one-eighth,
one quarter, one-half and three-o uarter-
inch rubber bands. The list price of the
quantity called foi of this class of goods is
81 ,026. The next item on the list is s'twelve
great gros s Nos l to 20, and so rubber
bands, according to size and weight"
This item, taken literally as it reads,
called for twelve great gross each
of twenty -four different sizes of rub
Der bands, or 288 great gross, the
list price of which amounts in the aggre-
gate to $7,792.20. But even if the roal
construction of the item is but II great
gross in all the cost, as per list, is $319.68.
This added to the foregoing item makes a
total of 81, 345.6 SO for TIE rubber bands
alone. These goods cannot be purchased
of the. manufacturers by the contractors
for cent less than one-half the above
figure, or say $675. There then remains
to be furnished to the county, according
to this same 'sList of Supplies" goods
which the SUNDAY MORNING News repre-
sentative knows can not be bought for less
than 81, 800, even by any one who may bid
on the contract. 1t therefore follows that,
for contractor to furnish all The supplies,
and in the quantities called for, entails
loss to him of at least the difference be-
tween his bid and the amount he must
necessarily pay for the goods, between
81 300 and 81, 900, if his bid be below
these last figures. But the truth of the
matter is, the bidder who gets tbs contract
| will not be obliged land he knows it, to
furnish all the goods called for. One bid for
the forty great gross and other ru bier bands
| mentioned above the list price of which is
Sc. S12. 20, is but $65. The fact is that a very
small per centum of these rubber bands
will ever be required of the contractor, as
it is said that there are plenty of rub
Der bands on hand to last the six months
covered by this requisition. This is prob
ably true of all the rubber bands. Again
the requisition calls for "a warrant books,
Autographed in two colors and containing
500 warrants each-a total of $4,000 war
rants, besides those on hand, (Which in
all probability are sufficiently for use during
six months. To what use, pray tell are the
dozen pairs of Bankers shears, called
for in the requisition, to be put,
unless it be to cut coupons off the securities
of probably dozen bloated bondholding
members Of the board, or coanty en-
ployees? But it does seem that two real
good sharp pairs would answer that pur-
pose. What half-dozen members or en-
ployees of the board have such rich blood
IN their veins that nothing will suit them
IN which to dip their pens but cut glass
inkstand encased IN a French walnut
stand of the latest improved pattern? For
what are twenty reams of foolscap paper
required, when probably ona-tenth of the
quantity is more than will be used in six
months for county purposes? Surely FIVE
dozen rubber pen-ho.dere is an extravagant
item in itself, but when the reauisition
calls, in addition, for five gross (720)
extra large nickel penhoders it looks
like piling on the agony. The 'slist"
calls for 1000 indentures, when 100
is amply sufficient; 1850 billheads,
though 1880 is all that is required;
| 1000 each of agreements and applications
are called for, while $50 each would an
swer; Il, 500 envelopes appear on the list,
an average of ninety envelopes for each
working day of the six months. If the
number of red and blue pencils for which
the requisition calls Zone dozen boxes)
should be supplied each inmate of the
several county institutions could be
furnished with one and then there
would be a larger number left than
the county would use in .
wears time. Unless they are
! TO be used as dirk knives or carried about
as concealed weapons it would be diff ,uli
to conceive for what purpose the county
requires whole gross (144) Rogers stee
ink erassers And it would seem that a
great many OF the members ana employees
of the Board must be very tired to call into
active service three dozen arm rests
Twenty thousand passes to the different
county institutions and are called for, whes
fourth of the number would answer ever,
purpose. It would be impossible for an.
man to furnish the county With every item
and the quantity called for on this list ant
make only decent profit for himself fol
less than So. COO But if the Board is to le
the contractor out of supplying the mos
J expensive articles and to make him suppl.
only the smaller things in which no ha
made profitable bids, he can do much bet
ter. The fellow who knows just what wal
be demanded under his bid, and jast VIVA
will not is the one who stands the bes